TV and projector maker Hisense introduced that its flagship line of L9G Laser TV projectors have obtained a free Dolby Imaginative and prescient improve. The improve was provided this week through an automated firmware replace, permitting L9G house owners to right away expertise the advantages of Dolby Imaginative and prescient excessive dynamic vary.
Whereas Hisense isn’t the primary firm to announce a projector with Dolby Imaginative and prescient – Xiaomi has launched a mannequin with Dolby Imaginative and prescient compatibility, although that mannequin is barely accessible in China – the L9G is the primary such mannequin within the US market to supply that function, which is usually present in one of the best 4K TVs, however not in projectors.
In any other case, the L9G is a whole A/V package deal consisting of a 4K extremely brief throw (UST) projector and bundled ambient light-rejecting (ALR) projection display. The projector, which sits roughly 12 inches from the wall-mounted display, incorporates a built-in 40-watt Dolby Atmos audio system, Android TV for streaming, and Google Assistant voice management. It’s offered with both a 100-inch display for $5,499 (about £4000, AU$7500) or a 120-inch display for $5,999 (about £4400, AU$8000)
Hisense calls the L9G a ‘TriChroma’ projector based mostly on its superior gentle engine that makes use of separate purple, inexperienced, and blue lasers to beam photos. Together with excessive brightness – the L9G delivers a specified 3,000 lumens gentle output – Hisense’s UST projector is claimed to attain 107% of BT.2020, the beneficial colour area for Extremely HDTV. (Few TVs or projectors are able to hitting anyplace close to full BT.2020, which isn’t even supported by present streaming or disc-based video codecs.)
Evaluation: It’s about time projectors acquired Dolby Imaginative and prescient
Why did it take so lengthy for Dolby Imaginative and prescient to reach in projectors? In contrast with common flat-panel TVs, projectors have restricted gentle output. The HDR10 format that 4K fashions do help is a fundamental excessive dynamic vary variant the place the film or TV program conveys its most and common HDR brightness to the show (both a TV or projector) and it then accommodates that static data to one of the best of its functionality.
Dolby Imaginative and prescient, then again, is a dynamic HDR format the place the distinction vary of photos are decided on a scene-by-scene or perhaps a frame-by-frame foundation. With Dolby Imaginative and prescient, the show (once more, a TV or projector) can convey details about its most brightness/distinction potential to the supply, and video content material can then be ‘tone-mapped’ on a dynamic foundation to profit from the system’s potential.
Observe that I used the phrase ‘system’ there. With a pre-configured projector-and-screen package deal like Hisense’s L9G, each the projector’s gentle output and the contribution of the display to the brightness and distinction ranges of photos are a recognized amount. This differs from most projector setups, the place screens with totally different acquire (the ratio of projected gentle that’s mirrored again by the display materials) ranges are used, or there’s no projection display in any respect.
With its excessive brightness, TriChroma laser gentle engine, and bundled display with predictable efficiency traits, Hisense’s upgraded L9G Laser TV appears to be the best candidate for launching Dolby Imaginative and prescient in projectors. TechRadar beforehand reviewed the LG9 and commented favorably on its image high quality. Perhaps we’ll must name it again in now to see the way it performs with the Dolby Imaginative and prescient improve.
